Asa R. BROWN

     Asa R. BROWN was born in 1841 in Arkansas, son of John Humphreys BROWN and Jane Ann (?).¹
     Asa R. BROWN appeared on a census, enumerated 10 September 1850, in the household of his parents John Humphreys BROWN and Jane Ann (?) in the Milam and Washington District, Williamson County, Texas. He was nine years old. The family would remain but a few years in Williamson County before moving 100 miles northwest to present day San Saba County. They were there as early as 1854 and help establish the town of San Saba.²
     Asa R. BROWN appeared on a census, enumerated 1 June 1860, in the household of John Humphreys BROWN in San Saba County, Texas.³
     Asa married Mary S. (?) circa 1866 in San Saba County, Texas.
     Asa R. BROWN and Mary S. (?) appeared as head of household on a census enumerated 3 July 1870 in San Saba, San Saba County, Texas. He was listed as 29 years of age, wife Mary S., age 22, and two children Louisa S., 3, and John H., 11 months old. His occupation was listed as "raising cattle." Living with then was Ann L. Bower, age 11 and born in Texas. Asa had real estate valued at $700 and personal property worth $1,650. Living next door was J. Frazer Brown, a 28-year-old lawyer who was born in Tennessee. He was also listed as the assistant marshal who performed the census survey.⁴
     Asa R. BROWN and Mary S. (?) appeared as head of household on a census enumerated 1 June 1880 in San Saba County, Texas. The household was listed as Asa R. Brown, a 39-year-old farmer born in Arkansas, and his 33-year-old wife, Mary S. Brown, born in Indiana. Her parents were born in Tennessee. Their children, all born in Texas, were Lillian C., 13; James H., 10; Troy, 7; Elmer, 5; and Babe, age 1. Also living in the household was Thomas Monk, a 32 year-old farm laborer born in North Carolina.⁵
     Asa R. BROWN killed his sister Rebecca's husband, Andrew Smart, in a barroom brawl on 30 July 1883 in San Saba, Texas. The event was reported in The Daily Banner of Brenham, Washington County, of August 11, 1883. "At San Saba on the 30th ult., A. R. Brown shot and killed Andrew Smart, his brother-in-law. Both were reputable citizens and the affair is said to be much regretted. An old feud had existed between them."⁶ He died in February 1889 in San Saba County, Texas. The following extract is from the 22 February 1889 "San Saba News": "Two men, Charles W. Smith and Asa R. Brown, were hanged near the Colorado River near the northern part of the county some time during the latter part of the week. Mr. Smith being seen last Monday evening and Mr. Brown leaving his home Friday morning. The body of Mr. Smith has not yet been found. The body of Mr. Brown was found Sunday evening by a searching party and was brought to town for burial in the Odd Fellows Cemetery. There are many different theories in regard to the cause and manner of their death." According to Karen Crisalli, family lore has it that Asa was hung "by the Mob" which was prevalent in San Saba in the late 1800s.
     From a San Saba historical marker: "Removed from major roads and railways, early San Saba County residents had limited access to law enforcement and government. Beginning in the mid-185s, citizens in and around the county formed vigilante mobs to dispatch justice. Although originally formed to protect residents, these mobs often evolved into organized gangs, terrorizing the residents that they had initially formed to protect.
     By the 1880s, a group unofficially called the San Saba Mob, or the Assembly, had killed numerous area settlers. Believed to have included religious leaders and elected officials, the mob operated under strict ritual and secrecy, meeting clandestinely at places like Buzzards water hole and Cottonwood pond. Organized similarly to a Fraternal Lodge, the group used secret signs and gestures to identify membership. After meeting and deciding who to eliminate, the regulators would ride wearing black masks or hoods, and ambush their victims with a telling nine bullet holes.
     In 1896, in order to stop the violence, the state sent Texas Rangers led by Sgt. W. John L. Sullivan to investigate, and San Saba County News editor Uluth M. Sanderson began running editorials against the mob. Sullivan was later replaced by Ranger Captain William J. "Bill Jess" McDonald, who worked effectively with district attorney W. C. Linden to expose as many mob members as possible. To avoid interference from local officials believed to have ties to the group, they moved key trials to Austin and Llano. By 1900, the Rangers and Linden succeeded in breaking the mob's control over county residents, although few members ever paid for their crimes."⁷